Theorizing Entrepreneuring as Practice
Bengt Johannisson is a pioneer in the field of entrepreneurship and small business research in Europe. For more than three decades, his research on the entrepreneur and the role of small businesses in regional development has inspired and provoked scholars as well as doctoral students.
Bengt Johannisson has been a very active participant and has played a key role in the development of the European entrepreneurship and small business research tradition. He has been influential, both through his extensive scientific production and his strong “presence” in the scientific discourse – by his dedicated participation in conferences, seminars for doctoral students, as invited lecturer and through his general interest in the debates in this field.
Professor Johannisson has devoted his entire research career to the furthering of our understanding of the importance of social networks of the entrepreneur in a regional context. He has also documented and explained how the social networks of the entrepreneur are related to the “life” of the entrepreneur, and he has identified the instrumental role of these social networks for regional economic development. Professor Johannisson has initiated and developed a Scandinavian, and partly European research tradition by introducing new approaches to gaining knowledge in the entrepreneurial and small business sectors, adopting a subjectivist and social-constructionist approach.
Furthermore, Professor Johannisson has been a vital contributor to the organization of the European entrepreneurship and small business research fields. He has been one of the prime organizers of the European Doctoral Program in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management. He has acted as editor for the journal Entrepreneurship & Regional Development which under his direction has evolved into one of the leading publications in entrepreneurship research.
Prof. Johannisson is the 2008 recipient of the Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research, given by Entrepreneurship Forum, Stockholm, Sweden